Long-term follow-up of hypopituitary patients treated with human growth hormone.
Thirty-six former human growth hormone (hGH) recipients underwent comprehensive physical, endocrine and lipoprotein evaluations as adults. Treatment was associated with a decrease in height standard deviation score (SDS) in males from 4.0 pretreatment to 2.1 as adults, and in females from 4.2 to 2.5. Males showed a better growth response to treatment than did females. Plasma somatomedin-C levels were subnormal in 30 patients, but were higher in isolated growth-hormone-deficient patients than in others. Three men and 1 woman showed evidence suggesting a disturbance in pulsatile gonadotropin release despite the previous documentation of normal serum gonadotropin levels. Hypertriglyceridemia was not observed, and the women's plasma cholesterol levels were unremarkable. Men, however, showed higher-than-expected total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and HDL-cholesterol concentrations. The last finding may explain the lack of increased cardiovascular morbidity in this group.
Libber
S M
SM
Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.
Plotnick
L P
LP
Johanson
A J
AJ
Blizzard
R M
RM
Kwiterovich
P O
PO
Migeon
C J
CJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000304:Adrenal Cortex Function Tests; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007018:Hypopituitarism / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010053:Ovary / Q000503:physiopathology; D013737:Testis / Q000503:physiopathology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood; D013960:Thyroid Function Tests; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood
D008055:Lipids; D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D013739:Testosterone; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013006:Growth Hormone